Analysts' Actions: ABX EGO VRTX FSLR LNKD

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- CHANGE IN RATINGSBarrick Gold ABX downgraded at BMO from Outperform to Market Perform, BMO Capital said. $46 price target. Estimates also cut, as the company is facing higher operating costs. Berry Petroleum BRY downgraded at Wunderlich from Buy to Hold, Wunderlich said. $40 price target. Company is seeing slower production growth. CBOE CBOE upgraded at KBW from Underperform to Market Perform, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods said. $30 price target. Volatility complex is growing and the company may soon pay a special dividend. Charter Communications CHTR rated new Hold at Deutsche. $83 price target. Company faces numerous operational challenges. Eldorado Gold EGO rated new Overweight at Morgan Stanley. $19 price target. Company can deliver industry-leading growth over the next several years. Exelon EXC downgraded at Jefferies from Buy to Hold, Jefferies said. $34 price target. Company is seeing lower prices and may have to cut its dividend. Fluor FLR downgraded at Baird from Outperform to Neutral, Robert Baird said. $62 price target. Backlog is likely to trend lower. First Solar FSLR downgraded at Cantor from Buy to Hold, Cantor Fitzgerald said. Valuation call, based on a $23 price target. Guess GES downgraded at Jefferies Buy to Hold, Jefferies said. $25 price target. Company continues to lose managers and lacks near-term catalysts. Iconix ICON upgraded at Benchmark from Hold to Buy, Benchmark said. $23 price target. Company is carrying a lot of momentum into the new year and buying back stock. Lifepoint Hospitals LPNT downgraded at Cantor from Buy to Hold, Cantor Fitzgerald said. $35 price target. Company has relatively weak earnings leverage. Las Vegas Sands LVS downgraded at Cantor from Buy to Hold, Cantor Fitzgerald said. $46 price target. Company is seeing slower growth in Singapore. Mednax MD upgraded at Deutsche from Sell to Hold, Deutsche Bank said. $76 price target. Company is posting higher volumes and margins. Pioneer Natural PXD downgraded at Canaccord from Hold, Canaccord Genuity said. Valuation call, based on a $110 price target. Rockwell Automation ROK upgraded at JP Morgan from Neutral to Overweight, JP Morgan said. $91 price target. Expect a catch up of pent-up demand to cause growth to re-accelerate in the coming quarters. True Blue TBI upgraded at Deutsche from Hold to Buy, Deutsche Bank said. $16 price target. Company is leveraged to rising ISM new orders index and could see more demand following Hurricane Sandy. Vertex Pharmaceuticals VRTX downgraded at Goldman from Neutral to Sell, Goldman Sachs said. $43 price target. Have a more cautious outlook for the company's cystic fibrosis portfolio. Watson Pharmaceuticals WPI upgraded at Piper from Neutral to Overweight, Piper Jaffray said. $103 price target. Company offers growth at a reasonable price.

STOCK COMMENTS / EPS CHANGES

LinkedIn LNKD numbers boosted at Citi. Shares of LNKD now seen reaching $135, according to Citigroup. Estimates also upped, as the company is gaining market share. Buy rating. Priceline.com PCLN numbers raised at Goldman. Shares of PCLN now seen reaching $770, according to Goldman Sachs. Estimates also increased, as the company is realizing higher bookings growth. Buy rating. Pfizer PFE estimates, target reduced at BMO. PFE estimates were cut through 2013, BMO Capital said. Company is being hurt by the stronger dollar. Outperform rating and new $29 price target. Starbucks SBUX estimates, target raised at BofA/Merrill. Shares of SBUX now seen reaching $60, according to Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. Estimates also increased, as new products are driving growth. Buy rating. >To submit a news tip, email: tips@thestreet.com.